Background: A multidisciplinary project team developed a five-month physiotherapist-led training programme designed to enhance nurses' rehabilitation skills.
Aims: Investigation of the effects of the training programme on nurses' attitudes to patients with stroke.
Method: An attitude questionnaire was completed by the participating nurses before and after the training programme. In a complementary qualitative evaluation the nurses' expectations and views of the training programme were explored.
Results: Analysis of the attitude questionnaire indicated that the programme was successful in positively influencing the nurses' attitudes (median of the change in score 2, p = 0.005). The qualitative interviews reflected a similar outcome.
Conclusions: Quantitative and qualitative evaluation indicates that the training programme had some effect in changing nurses' attitudes to treating patients after a stroke. Such a training programme could be a useful contribution to post-stroke care.
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